Polar bear who escaped during Duluth flood has health scare

DULUTH, Minn. – Berlin, the polar bear who briefly escaped from her Lake Superior Zoo exhibit during the June 20 flood, has had a health scare at her current home in St. Paul.

Berlin underwent surgery on Saturday at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center, a news release from the Lake Superior Zoo said.

The polar bear had been acting lethargic and vomiting in its new home at Como Park Zoo, said Dr. Louise Beyea, the Lake Superior Zoo’s veterinarian. After an endoscopy, X-ray and ultrasound proved inconclusive, exploratory surgery was performed. It revealed a necrotic mass — tissue that has been killed by disease or trauma — and signs of previous abdominal bleeding, the news release said.

Berlin has been returned to Como Park Zoo and is under observation, the news release said.